Folding machine timing mechanism



p 1942- i L. M. KAHN 2,280,956

FOLDING MACHINE TIMING MECHANISM Original Filed Sept. 22, 1959 H 6: lNVENTOR LEO M. KAHN ATTORNEYJ' Patented Apr. 28,

FOLDING MACHINE TIMING MECHANISM Leo M. mum, New York, N. Y., assrgnor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application September 22, 1939, Serial No. 296,059. Divided and this application November 27, 1940, Serial No. 367,411

11 Claims. (01. arc -or) This invention relates to folding machines such as are used in laundries for folding towels,

sheets and. the like, and relates more specifically to the timing mechanism in such machines.

The folding machine timing mechanisms herein described of the type which operates selectively in accordance with the length of the article which is fed into the machine, i. e., which folds the article two, three, or four, according to its length.

in this general type of timer, the motions of the folding blades have been controlled by electric circuits which have been opened and closed by roving contacts. in a Mayer machine, these contacts moved with the same speed over varying paths with electrodes at various points thereof (see United States Patent No. 1,581,753) The movable contacts were magnetized buttons at all times gripped magnetically between the disks, two of which were of iron. A large portion of the time, including all periods when the machine was in operation and no articles were being fed into it, the buttons which were in contact with the disks were restrained from moving with them. The resulting friction between the disks and the buttons had serious consequences: The buttons became worn and would jamb. The heat of the friction destroyed the buttons magnetism.

It is an object of this invention to provide a timer which utilizes movable contacts of the kind described above but which does not use magnetism and in which friction is reduced to the amount normally present in any machine; to provide such a timer in which the movable contacts are positively and mechanically moved along their paths; to provide such a timer in which there is relatively no friction between the movable contacts and the element which moves them, even while they are motionless and that element is moving.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly diagrammatic, of a modification of the aforesaid Mayer device;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section, taken. along the line 3-301 Fig. 2, of a detail of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4'is a view in elevation of a different form of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view of a detail of the device shown in Fig. 4.

It will be understood that the form, of invention here disclosed is a modification or similar to the timing mechanism of the above men tioned Mayer patent and is intended to be utilized in a type of folding machine where the article to be folded travels along spaced between. which lies a measuring linger in the path of the moving article. The arrangement is sch that the finger closes a contact, such as the switch 52 here disclosed, during that period or" time re quired for the article to move over the linger. The timing mechanism is so set during 11c do pression of this finger as to automatically operate a folding blade at an appropriate time transversely to the direction of movement of the article so as to lift the latter and present it to a pair of folding rolls. This folding mechanism is not here illustrated as it s well known in this art and is illustrated in the above mentioned Mayer patent.

-The device shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is another form of the Mayer device in which there need be no magnetic disk and the contacts are not magnetic. They are each carried past the strips I06 by one of the supports 13!! fricticnally errgaged and rotatable with shaft 292.

A support I36 comprises a pair of parallel rods I32 generally radial to shaft Hi2. Each contact I I2 has a pair of passageways through which one pair of rods I32 lies or loosely passes. One oi each pair of rods is in contact, as it moves about shaft I02, with an arcuate electrode l3. The

other rod is similarly in contact with an arcuate electrode I36 of smaller radius. Each contact H2 contains a solenoid it which has connections Mil to the rods and which operates a toggle I42 for jambing the rods against the contact passages to fix the contact H2 radially. The independent, subsidiary, electric circuit for fixing a contact radially comprises main Mt, conductor I45, electrode I36, rod I32, connector Iii solenoid 538, connector hi0, rod I32, electrode I34, and. main I43. When that circuit is open. the toggle is not in effect and the contact H2 is slidable along the rods I32.

There are brakes in electrodes 534 and 838 so that contacts which are moving around shaft I02 may have their jambing circuits closed (contacts II2 held radially in position while the contacts which have not started around shaft I02 may have their jambing circuits open and hence be slidable radially. The end portion of electrode I34 which is disconnected from the rest of the electrode I34, is independently connected to main I44 by conductor I45 which may be broken at switch I48. The result of this arrangement is that when one of the rods I32 is in contact with I34, and when the switch is open,

there is no current through solenoid I38 and the contact H2 is movable along those rod's.

rod is held fixedon that-rod by the activated solenoid. The area of the rods against electrodes I34 and I36 is large enough to bridge the breaks which are so close to starting position of the rods that one pair will have crossed the breaks before another pair has reached thestarting position.

The operation of the device is as follows. An article on the folder passes and closes switch 52. This operates solenoids 3 which causes plunger I22 to press against constantly rotating wheel I23 thus causing the plunger to rise and push contact H2 toward shaft I92. Simultaneously, solenoid 5 opens switch I48, opening the circuit through solenoid I38 so that contact H2 is free to slide along its rods I32. When the article leaves switch 52, it opens again, causing plunger I22 to fall away from knob I58, freeing it, contact I I2, and rods I32, which latter are connected frictionally with shaft I02, to rotate about shaft I02. Brush I52 of contact H2 is available folding mechanisms are set in play as described in the aforesaid Mayer patent. While contact H2 is in contact with strips I05, the electrical circuit is through conductor I45, electrode I36, rod I32, electrode I34, the folder. mechanisms and back to conductor I45. When the rods leave electrodes I34 and I36, the circuit through solenoid I 38' is broken, toggle I42 is inoperative, and gravity pulls contact II 2 back to its starting position. v

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modification of the last described device wherein the jambing of the contact on the rod I32 is entirely mechanical. There is but one rod for each contact 2I2 contact 2| 2 is an element 254 through which, and through the contact, the rod I32 extends loosely. A spring 256 between the contact and element 254 holds them in a position to bind against rod I32 whereby they are fixed against the rod. Plunger I22 has a cam surface, 258 which pivots elements 254 against the action of spring 256. The contact and element are no longer bound against rod I32 and are free to be slid thereagainst by the force of plunger I22. A permanently positioned cam 228 similarly releases the bind between contact and element, after the contact has passed by electrodes I34, so that gravity may here too bring the contact back to its starting point at the end of rod I32. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 296,059, filed September 22, 1939.

What I claim is:

At the same time, another contact II2 on a moving Pivoted to to contact the strips I06 whereupon the various 1. The combination in a timing mechanism, I

, with a rotary contact carrier and a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button held mechanically and'movably by said carrier, and means for shifting said buttonalong said carrier toward and from the axis thereof and into operative relation with certain of said fixed contacts, said carrier comprising rod-likemeans rotatable about one end thereof.

3. The combination in a timing mechanism with a rotary contact carrier and a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of. a contact button held mechanically and movably by said carrier, means for shifting said button along said carrier toward and from the axis thereof and into operative relation with certain of said fixed contacts, and releasable mechanical means for holding said button mechanically at any one of a plurality of points along said carrier.

4. The combination in a timing mechanism comprising a plurality of contact carriers which are longer than they are broad and which are rotatable about their respective ends, a support adjacent the paths of said carriers and provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, a plurality of contact buttons held respec tively and mechanically and movably by said carriers, and means for shifting said buttons along said carriers and toward and from their axes and into operative relation with certain of said fixed contacts.

5. The combination in a timing mechanism having a contactcarrier rotatable about an axis and having a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button slidable along said carrier toward and from said axis and adapted to engage said 'fixe d contacts, means 'for shifting said button along said carrier, and means for mechanically locking said button in various adjusted positions along said carrier.

6. The combination in a timing mechanism having a contact carrier rotatable about an axis and having a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button slidable along said carrier toward and from said axis and adapted to engage said fixed contacts, means for shifting said button along said carrier, and electrically operated means for locking said button in various adjusted positions along said carrier.

7. The combination in a timing mechanism having a contact carrier rotatable about an axis and having a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button slidable along said carrier toward and from said axis and adapted to engage said fixed contacts, means for shifting said button along said carrier, and spring actuated latch means for locking said button in various adjusted positions along said carrier.

8. The combinationof claim 7, wherein said first named means is provided with means for releasing said latch means during said shifting operation.

9. The combination of claim- 7, wherein fixed means is provided along the path of movement of said carrier for releasing said latch means.

7 10. The combination in a timing mechanism having a contact carrier rotatable about an axis and having a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button slidable along said carrier toward and from said axis and adapted to engage said fixed contacts, 'means for shifting said button along ing said button in various adjusted positions along said carrier, and an electrical circuit including said carrier for energizing said last named means.

11. The combination in a timing mechanism having a coni..ct carrier rotatable about an axis and having a support provided with fixed contacts adjacent the path of said carrier, of a contact button slidable along said carrier toward and from said axis and adapted to engage said assume fixed contacts, means for shifting said button along said carrier, power'operated means for locking said button in various adJusted positions along saidcarrier, an energizing circuit for said power means, and means for interrupting said circuit during operation of said button shifting means.

LEO M. KAHN. 

